21 August 2008

Prentice urges US politicians to break down trade barriers

The following is excerpted from the 21 August 2008 edition of “Canadian Transportation & Logistics”.

Canada's Industry Minister Jim Prentice issued a warning to US politicians yesterday: relax barriers that hinder cross-border trade.

Prentice was speaking to industry leaders and politicians at the Americas Competitiveness Forum yesterday, where he argued the smooth flow of goods across the Canada/US border is essential to economic prosperity.

"We need to make trade logistics and border infrastructure a priority in the short term or lose opportunities to other global competitors who are better organized to facilitate trade," the Canadian Press quoted Prentice as saying.

Prentice praised NAFTA and also urged government to eliminate internal trade barriers. Prentice also pointed out Canada has a "stable" supply of oil and gas.

"On oil alone, Canada has been the largest supplier to the US since 1999 – not Saudi Arabia, not Kuwait, nor any other producer from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries," he said, … "Canada is a stable supplier of energy to the US – whether it is gas and oil in the west or integrated electricity grids in the east. And being close means lower delivery costs than most other power suppliers."